Yes, the game was played, but indoors at the Cook Pavilion on the UNL (University of Nebraska at Lincoln) campus. Charge win 4-2. Huskers.com had a story pretty quick after the game ended. It started at 12:30PM Eastern. Nebraska took the lead just 5 minutes into the scrimmage when Aly Scace got a Jenna Cooper corner and brought it home. Charge equalized courtesy of Anne Makinen off a free kick a half-hour later at the top of the box. Charge made it 2-1 on a goal by Deliah Arrington off a caromed shot from Stacey Tullock with two minutes left in the half. The UNL website said Arrington gave the Husker D fits with her runs (not that word, but you get the idea...) The Huskers tied it in the first 2 minutes of the second half with a Kari Hogan goal off of a corner, then it was all Philly after that. Pichon and walkon Trina Maso de Moya closed out the scoring for the locals. Charge outshot UNL 20-8 with a 12-6 edge in shots on net. Next up, the home pre-season opener at noon vs. Maryland next Sunday ; they got to the second round of last year's NCAA WCC, bowing to Penn State in that game. Paul
And before Adam and company get on me for doubting Arrington's worth , it seemed from reading the story on the Nebraska sports website she was everything Coach K had hoped for. Nice start to the pre-season. This brutal weather we've been having may finally break this week, so no more snow or rain to worry about in the coming 5 days or so. At least they'll be able to get in practice at 'Nova proper. Paul
kiss of death from Paul saying the weather will break... as to scrimmages, just recollect the Charge-Virginia scrimmage from last year and the folly of making evaluations without seeing the practice with ones own eyes. I'd expect a Nebraska feature story to be biased towards their team, emphasizing the good and minimizing the bad. Does anyone have a list of who played, what formations were used, and player rotation??
congrats to the new players scoring. What a pleasant surprise in my opinion. Usually it doesnt happen like that, but it was nice to see people like makinen, arrington, and trina - who knew?! - score, and hopefully this'll be a preview of things to come. No offense to pichon, but in my opinion I really enjoy seeing a variety of players who are able to score and do so during games.
Pavlina Scasna seems the annointed partner to Pichon. I'd expect Arrington to be the 3rd forward, being able to sub on her speed during the 2nd half seems the logical use for her. Still, the world revolves around Kelly Smith. There is NO more talented woman player on the planet.
Unless arrington can play the wing...then id use her in the midfield off the bench as well... So far i like the offense and you cant judge the defense until final rosters are set...i see a good campaign and definatly in the playoffs, which is all that matters in a league with no regular season championship honors. now home field advantage all depends on how the defense shakes out. and it may be just me but id like to see hoffmann get here before i definatly write her in as part of the team, stranger things have happened with visas.
I read spme place Hoffmann is due March 23, so the San Jose match, she probably won't start. I'd like a midfield of Tullock Fair Hoffmann and Smith. Pichon is clearly up top, but Scasna and Arrington might split time at the other forward. Defensively, it's the system, and how much Pia's absence affects things, I'm sure some, but who knows until things get going for real. The best defense is a good offense. The Charge have lots of possession, and that's a passive aspect of defending. Looks like Solo and Moore split time this weekend. We shall see how this evolves. I think WUSA is more competitive, so 35 points would get a home field, and 30 would get you into the playoffs. Fewer dogs, and more ties.
id agree fewer dogs but more ties, im not sure, i think the wusa has gotten more offensive so id say less ties. the power is the only team which cant reallistically say they can finish in the top 4...thats not bad for a league
I think teams are better. which makes them more competitive and compresses overall league talent. More ties will result because teams are more even. That's just my feeling. Could be wrong. Last year Boston got a lot of ties, more than the others, This year I see more teams in the tying Boston mode.
you're saying welsh and orlandos are the best scorer and defender??? on reputation or performance?? we shall see, but I think the best rookie defender ends up being Boyd... and scorer needs a playmaker, so Latham and Arrington have Wagner and Smith to set them up... NY still needs to see what the aussies bring them before we anoint them play-off contenders..they had the furthest to improve, and only the matches will tell us if their growth is sufficient.
82 college goals trumps Wagner's 47... If you want to look at cold hard stats, that is. Orlandos IMO anchored the Portland backline. Boyd may be the better defender when all is said and done, but it's just a matter of opinion. Paul
Paul, you're far too infatuated by statistics. Football is a team game, and given the people who surround you, your skill can be displayed, or it can be hidden. Dee Arrington as ACC player of the year, played in a superior league to the Big 10. Welsh has one style of play, and Arrington another. Penn State had more good players around her, but the Penn State style looked miserably incompetent when they played Portland, a team with a more technical style. So making categorical statements about BEST player is subject to opinion. Let's see how players perform in wusa... Wagner, Welsh, Hawkins, Boyd I expect be significant players for their sides. Let's see how Withers fits in with Atlanta. Arrington I believe will be a sub off the bench, and fill a role. McVeigh needs to be seen, and then we can hazard an opinion. Sunday is my first chance. Solo is spliting time with Moore, so a coaches decision awaits who's in goal. Still, NY has far more unanswered questions than other teams, and while Orlandos and Welsh make them better, the ultimate question is how much better. Only real matches answer that puzzle,
my thing with ny is they still have webber and or smolak in goal, neither very good, and their defense is still full of holes despite at LEAST picking up a dmid and orlandos. millbrett could become a playmaker but do you wanna waste her talent like that. agree with adam, only the games that count shall tell
The aussies they've picked up are a bit unknown to me. Sermanni will be an upgrade coaching, and I think the mindset will be far more positive. The big key from my perspective is the creation of a better soccer environment. That's the first goal, then adding talent. Some steps have been taken in BOTH directions. On the whole, the league is MORE balanced, hence my original point being 35 points will get you a home field and 30 into the playoffs.